Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Kaleva, Michigan

Village of Kaleva’s own rules

• Building code adoptedPartial

  Rental dwelling property maintenance inside Kaleva village; this claim does not establish adoption of a construction code

  • Rental property maintenance standards reference the International Property Maintenance Code as adopted in village Ordinance No. 50; Ordinance No. 50 was not opened.
  • No construction (building) code adoption was verified in this research.

  “the minimum standards for rental property maintenance shall be those contained in the international property maintenance code as adopted in ordinance no. 50 of the village.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Rental dwellings in Kaleva village inside the inspection geographic areas; owner-occupied homes are not covered by this rule

  • Certificates of compliance are phased in by a three-year inspection cycle across three geographic areas (Ordinance No. 51, section 4(b)-(d)).
  • Registration of each rental dwelling is required before occupancy of new units (Ordinance No. 51, section 4(c)).

  “after the first year of inspections all units within the first geographical area must have certificates of compliance prior to occupancy of a rental dwelling.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Kaleva village limits, under the joint Kaleva Village and Maple Grove Township zoning ordinance (village zoning administrator on village site)

  • The ordinance is joint with Maple Grove Township; the village adopted it by its own governing body.
  • The village planning commission page lists a public hearing on November 17, 2026 to consider amending articles of the joint ordinance, so text may change.
  • Use-by-use permissions are in the joint ordinance table of land uses (Article 18, section 1809), which was not opened in this research.

  “the planning commission has finalized the master plan and joint zoning ordinance and it has been adopted by both governing bodies.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for land inside Kaleva village under the joint ordinance (village residential VR-1 and medium density residential R-2 quick-reference tables cited here)

  • Other districts in the joint ordinance (farm & forest FR-1, low density R-1, light commercial C-1, historic downtown mixed-use HDM and others) are not claimed here; village applicability of each was not verified.
  • Official zoning map is adopted under Article 18 (section 1803) and was not opened.

  “a. quick reference table of residential, vr-1 district requirements district regulations village residential (vr-1) minimum lot area minimum dwelling area 20,000 sq. feet”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Medium density residential (R-2) district inside Kaleva village

  • 400 sq ft applies to single-family; other unit types are printed as 400 sq. ft. per unit.

  minimum dwelling area, single-family (R-2): >= 400 sq ft (400 sq ft per unit for all other unit types)

  “5 acres - in the township 400 sq. ft.- single family 400 sq. ft. per unit - all other”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village residential (VR-1) district inside Kaleva village

    “village residential (vr-1) minimum lot area minimum dwelling area 20,000 sq. feet min lot width 125 feet 400 sq. feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Medium density residential (R-2) district inside Kaleva village - single-family lot

  • Figure is the single-family entry in the R-2 table; duplex 12,500 sq ft, triplex 15,000 sq ft and fourplex 17,500 sq ft apply to other unit counts.
  • The same table prints '5 acres - in the township' for the township figure; that figure is not claimed for the village.
  • Village figure is printed in a condensed table; check section 4204(b) before relying on it for a specific parcel.

  minimum lot area, single-family (R-2): >= 10000 sq ft (duplex 12,500 sq ft; triplex 15,000 sq ft; fourplex 17,500 sq ft)

  “medium density residential (r-2) minimum lot area minimum dwelling area 10,000 sq feet - single family 12,500 sq feet - duplex 15,000 sq feet - triplex 17,500 sq feet - fourplex 5 acres - in the township”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village residential (VR-1) district inside Kaleva village - main single-family residential district

    “b. minimum parcel area a. no building, structure or use shall be established on any parcel less than twentythousand (20,000 ft2) square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Medium density residential (R-2) district inside Kaleva village - principal buildings

  • Front setback is 25 ft from the parcel line or 58 ft from the road centerline, as printed.
  • Accessory building setbacks (side 10 ft, rear 20 ft) are a separate row and were not separately cited.

  front setback (R-2): >= 25 ft (from parcel line; 58 ft from road centerline) · side setback (R-2): >= 10 ft · rear setback (R-2): >= 15 ft · water front setback (R-2): >= 45 ft

  “minimum setbacks front side rear water front 25 ft parcel line or 58 ft road centerline 10 feet 15 feet 45 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village residential (VR-1) district inside Kaleva village - principal buildings

    “minimum setbacks front 25 ft parcel line or 58 ft road centerline side 10 feet rear 25 feet water front 45 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Medium density residential (R-2) district inside Kaleva village

  • Figure is from the condensed R-2 quick-reference table; verify against section 4204(b) before relying on it for a specific parcel.

  maximum lot coverage (R-2): <= 50 percent

  “maximum lot 50% coverage acc. building setbacks side rear 10 feet 20 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village residential (VR-1) district inside Kaleva village

    “max building height 35 feet maximum lot coverage acc. building setbacks 70% side rear 10 feet 25 feet”

• Building heightSpecified

  Medium density residential (R-2) district inside Kaleva village

  • Height figure is from the condensed R-2 quick-reference table; the section's measurement method was not separately cited.

  maximum building height (R-2): <= 35 ft

  “max building height 35 feet maximum lot 50% coverage acc. building setbacks side rear 10 feet 20 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Village residential (VR-1) district inside Kaleva village

    “no building or structure shall be taller than thirty-five (35') feet in height measured from top of roof line to threshold grade.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and condominium design standards under the joint ordinance for land inside Kaleva village

  • Article 12 sets design standards (traffic ways, intersections, lots, required public improvements, inspection of public improvements); the article text was not opened.
  • Subdivision approval procedure and fees were not verified.

  “article 12 82 subdivision and condominium design standards 82 1201) subdivision traffic ways, streets and roads 82”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning matters for land inside Kaleva village, handled through the village zoning administrator

  • Zoning administrator office hours are by appointment only; phone 231-362-3366 per village site.
  • Joint ordinance land use permit application exists, but the permit fee schedule and review timelines were not found, and building or septic permit processes are not described here.

  “village of kaleva zoning administrator tasha covell 231-362-3366 231-970-1302 [email protected] ​ ​ hours by appointment”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Kaleva or Manistee County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new residential construction inside Kaleva village
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Kaleva village
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Kaleva village
• Living in an RV — Living in a recreational vehicle on land inside Kaleva village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Kaleva village

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.